Apparatus for cleaning equipment with a chemical agent



Dec. 5, 1950 P. GRE CO 2,532,299

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING EQUIPMENT WITH A CHEMICAL AGENT Filed Sept. 10, 1945 CHEMICAL AGENT l6 MEL-4 VENT LINE STEAM INLET \HEATING cows- STEAM DRAIN um: m

DECK L/Ms VALVE 2 ARTICLE BEING VALVE CLEANED 23- fiFVALVE COMPRESSED AIR INLET 27.

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IN V EN TOR. -Pa500a/e Grcco QJ L -W Patented Dec. 5, 1950 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING EQUIPMENT WITH A CHEMICAL AGENT Pasquale Grecc, New'YorAN. Application September 10, 1945*, Serial No; 615,489

(Granted. under the act of March 3,. 1883, as

1 Claim.

amended A ril 30,, 1928;370 01 G. 757") This invention relates in general to apparatus, for cleaning industrial equipment and in par-. ticular to apparatus for flushing and cleaning industrial equipment used in connection with oil and oily materials.

A method now in use for cleaning equipment such as fuel oil heaters, storage tanks, and other equipment used in connection with oil or oily substances involves using a chemical cleaning agent in conjunction with a system of tanks and pipes that comprises a pair of tanks each containing a heating coil placed below the equipment to be cleaned and connected thereto to operate in the following manner. A cleaning chemical such as carbon tetra-chlcrethylene is charged into one of the tanks, heated to vaporization temperature and the vapor passed into the oily equipment. The vapor cleans the equipment, condenses, and drains back into the other tank. Subsequently the second, or receiving tank, is heated and the vapor passed through the equipment in the reverse direction.

When this cleaning method is applied to equipment on board ship and in other confined places it is necessay to disassemble the cleaning apparatus in order to take it to a place below the equipment to be cleaned, such as the fire room below decks, and reassemble it there. In addition this gives rise to industrial hazards because of exposure to frequent contact with the chemical agent and because of the tendency to create leaks and other flaws in the apparatus by the continual assembling operations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and convenient apparatus for flushing and cleaning industrial equipment used with oil or oily substances, wherein thecleaning apparatus is located in an accessible place remote from the equipment to be cleaned.

It is an additional obiect to provide apparatus for cleaning" and flushing equipment on board ship.

Further objects and advantages of this invention as well as the construction, arrangement and operation of the cleaning apparatus are apparent from the following description and claim in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a diagrammatic flow sheet showing the location and operation of the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to the figure in detail there is shown a fuel oil heater 1 l to be cleaned with the cleaning apparatus of the present invention attached thereto. The fuel oil heater H is cated at a, point, below the deck line. I12, of, a}... ship, usually in, the, fire room. Above. the dc 1c line is a system of tanks and pipes as described above and including a pair of tanks I 3 each provided with an inlet It for the chemical agent, an inlet l5 for the admission of steam, a vent line l6 and a steam drain II. A pipe l8 leads from this unit below the deck line I 2 to the fuel oil heater H and flow through this pipe I8 is controlled by valve 25. At a position below fuel oil heater l i there is provided a receiving coil :11 connected to the fuel oil heater by means of a pipe 2! and valve 26. The receiving coil 28 is in turn connected back to tanks I3 by means of a pipe 22, and valve 21.

Leading into pipe 2| is an inlet 23 connected to a source of compressed air (not shown), the entrance of the compressed air. being controlled by valve 28.

In the use and operation of this new cleaning apparatus the tanks l3 are set up in an accessible place above the deck line 12 preferably in the open air and connected to the fuel oil heater and receiving coil. Tanks [3 are charged according to conventional methods with a suitable mixture of the cleaning chemicals and steam, and the heated cleaning agent is then passed through the fuel oil heater II to the receiving coil 20. When a sufficient quantity of the cleaning agent has been passed through the fuel oil heater ll, valve 26 and optionally valve 25 are closed, valve 21 is opened and compressed air is admitted through inlet 23 to force the used cleaning agent back to tanks [3.

This cleaning process can be repeated until the fuel oil heater is, satisfactorily cleaned.

By means of this inventionit is now possible to use the described type of cleaning and flushing apparatus to clean fuel oil heaters, storage tanks, and the like aboard ship without necessitating constant assembling and disassembling of the equipment, and without exposing the operators to the danger of fumes or spatterings from the cleaning solution. The equipment is convenient to use and operate and permits carrying outthe cleaning operations in a fraction of the time previously required for setting up the apparatus. In addition, there is eliminated the use of special hoisting equipment and the like that previously was necessary for setting the cleaning unit in a position below the equipment to be cleaned.

This invention has been particularly described in connection with the use of a pair of tanks I3 for cleaning a fuel oil heater. There can be used any cleaning unit that operates by flushing the equipment with a fiowable cleaning material. The cleaning apparatus is adapted to be used for cleaning any equipment located in a confined or inconvenient place and is not limited to the specific apparatus described in the specification and drawing.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

A cleaning system for use on board ship comprising a tank for a chemical agent heating means for said tank to vaporize said agent, a first descending pipe between said tank and the object to be cleaned, a second descending pip be- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 529,338 Murphy Nov. 13, 1894 829,188 Weiss Aug. 21, 1906 1,044,185 Jefferson Nov. 12, 1912 1,938,841 Koch Dec. 12, 1933 2,009,365 Wait July 23, 1934 2,123,434 Paulson et al July 12, 1934 

